Thread: Equipping my shop with Hand Tools

Yeah, Carbatec isn't exactly close to me, but I can occasionally bribe a friend into giving me a lift to pick things up. Gotta go there and pick up another triton woodrack thing anyway.

Originally Posted by Mooncabbage

I think, the top I'm looking at building is probably going to be something like 10cmish high, which is going to make the whole thing a lot taller than I really want it to be. I could of course take the wheels off, but then it'd be nearly impossible to move, which isn't really an option with my limited (and awkward) space.

You could remove the wheels from the legs entirely and rearrange them to engage via a lever and otherwise be out of the way. Someone on the forum did a great job like that (in metal) ... maybe for a bandsaw ??? ... as well as others out in the 'Net. That would give you back a fair bit of height.

Cheers,
Paul

Originally Posted by pmcgee

You could remove the wheels from the legs entirely and rearrange them to engage via a lever and otherwise be out of the way. Someone on the forum did a great job like that (in metal) ... maybe for a bandsaw ??? ... as well as others out in the 'Net. That would give you back a fair bit of height.

Cheers,
Paul

The problem with that is that the cabinet doesn't have any legs, or feet. To have them swing out of the way I'd have to mount them on the sides of the thing, which would be very awkward I think. I'll have to assess it. It might be best to simply build a new, small bench from scratch, to suit the space. That does seem like kind of a PITA though.

You might want to check this out for equipment / raw materials ...

Ross's Auctioneers & Valuers :: Cabinet Makers Liquidation Auction - 05/02/2013 - Gallery

The irony is, Ross's is only a short walk from here, but the auction is being held off site miles away :P

Looks like there is some ok stuff there, lots of MDF but who knows what else I might find. I see a few odds & sods clamps in the catalogue I might try to snag, if I can get down there. Anyone go to these things very often? I've personally never been to a live auction. I imagine at something like this though, most people who show up will be after the bigger lots, but I could of course be wrong.

EDIT: It's miles from any kind of public transport, so I doubt I'll be going. The only things I really want are the 5 sash clamps anyway, the rest all looks like MDF and chipboard.

Originally Posted by Mooncabbage

The one problem I have with this plan, is it means the pipe clamps are basically clamping against the 18mm plywood top only, when I use them as a vice, which doesn't seem like enough. Your worktop is similar Bushmiller, how do you find it? Should I be using an extra thick top?

Mooncabbage

Whilst I wouldn't disuade you from building all of the "New Fangled Workbench" as I have found it to be very practical, I was really only suggesting it for the vice on the side: This being an inexpensive way of acquiring both a vice and a couple of clamps.

With regard to the bench thickness it certainly helps to have a thicker work surface. The vice will definitely work better if there is thick material to bear against. This can be achieved by bulking up the whole work surface or fixing strips along the edge. My bench is about 45mm thick.

Regards
Paul

OK, before I start I have to apologise for the rough and ready nature of this work. There are people on the forum, who would have made beautiful objects from such humble accessories Unforutnately at least some of them have contributed to this thread.I have not done that. The objects are humble both in purpose and form.

I have deliberately made use of what I had lying around and equally deliberately I have left it as it was rather than modifying the materials to be more suitable. My reason for this is that the intent is to get you started and at minimal cost. I am also guessing that time is not unlimited either.

The first clamp with two bolts in the adjustable jaw I assembled yesterday afternoon (there were no hardware stores open within 40 Km of where I live) so materials were sourced from whatever was lying around. (I throw little away.)

For the second clamp I bought a single coach bolt (130mm x 8mm) I think it was about 80c. It would have been cheaper in cadmium plated instead of gal, but they only had the required size in gal. Otherwise I bought no materials other than what I had. This did include some batten screws and other wood screws, which I had bought at some time in the past.

If I was going to spend time and maybe money on the project I would have made it quite differently. Ideally it would have been hardwood (I used radiata pine from old packing cases) probably 65mm x 38mm for the beam and 100mm x 25mm for the cheeks of the jaws. For example, an old hardwood pallet would supply enough material for at least six clamps(100 x 50s cut in half lengthways ) and maybe more if you glued some of the slats together to make more beams

The timber was salvaged from other projects and some had beveled edges. Ordinarily I would not have done that and the only reason for the 45 degree corner on the fixed jaw on the first clamp is the timber was a bit short and that was the wood I had.

One comment on the folding wedges (don't ask me, I don't know why they are called folding wedges), which are the key to the clamping system. I always keep any offcuts of wedge-shaped timber. In the pictures of the two bolt clamp you can see the wedges are not matched and while they work they are not as good as the wedges with the second clamp which were cut to size and are close to identical.

In the first clamp I used some threaded rod as I did not have any coach bolts or any other bolts of a suitable size. I won't go into laborious detail as sizes are dependent on what you have or can scrounge. However feel free to ask questions as long as you don't mind me referring you to others for answers .

The clamps sit quite flat and my preference is for the second design. they can easily be used in conjunction with other clamps.


Timber sash clamp 006.jpgTimber sash clamp 002.jpgTimber sash clamp 003.jpgTimber sash clamp 004.jpgTimber sash clamp 005.jpg Timber sash clamp two 003.jpgTimber sash clamp two 001.jpgTimber sash clamp two 002.jpg

Regards
Paul

I forgot to mention clamping range is between 300mm and a little over 700mm.

Regards
Paul

Soo, my adventures today: The new saw is pretty good, it cuts jarrah nicely. The cuts are fairly straight, but the kerf is fairly wide. For a rip saw, it also makes quite nice crosscuts with a minimum of breakout. For $18.50, I am incredibly happy with it.

Tried using my triton oilstone to sharpen up the chisel I blunted yesterday. All I achieved was to eat up half my 3-in-1, and put nicks in the cutting edge of my chisel. Total garbage. I'll keep it anyway, incase I think of a use for it, but it's not going near my chisels again. Scary-sharped up the chisel, put an edge on it like you wouldn't believe in about 5 minutes. Didn't really believe it was sharp, as it didn't feel it, so I tested it on the back of my hand. I don't think a barber could have shaved it that clean. I might start shaving with my chisels. Also then my fingers started bleeding. Now I have a lot of bandaids on my hands. I won't be testing for sharp on my fingers anymore.

Bushmiller: They say necessity is the mother of all invention. I'm really very impressed with what you've come up with there. The more I get into this, the more I want to build my own tools as much as I can. Those clamps look very effective. I'm quite shocked actually. Are these a common knowledge thing, something dredged up from the past, or did you just invent it? They are.... amazing. Will definitely be making some. You should consider doing a full blown write up, educate us all

Paul, no need to feel aplogetic in the slighteset! These are exactly the kinds of tools & accessorie someone starting out on a limited budget needs to see. You can achieve a lot with what's on hand, with a little imagination. Whatever gets the job done is ok. Folding wedges ( I agree, I cannot se where the name comes from, either ) and an adjustable bar like yours are a little less convenient & quick to set up than bar clamps, but they can do the job for you...
Cheers,

PS. Do you think it's necessary to use that thickness of pine? I have quite a bit of Jarrah lying around, and I thought they might be more convenient to store if the beam was 12-18mm thick, and maybe 4-5cm high, with similarly scaled heads. As for the folding wedges, could you perhaps put an angle on one of the heads, and use a single wedge? Also for consideration: If both heads can be adjusted, but have different scale gaps between bolt holes, it would allow for more micro adjustment. For example, one end might have 10cm centres along the majority of the beam, while at the other end have tapering centres, from 10cm to 5cm and down (or something).

Anyway, I like the design, and I'm looking forward to giving it a go, see what I can come up with. I feel inspired!

Originally Posted by Mooncabbage

....... Those clamps look very effective. I'm quite shocked actually. Are these a common knowledge thing, something dredged up from the past, or did you just invent it? They are.... amazing. Will definitely be making some. You should consider doing a full blown write up, educate us all

Not taking any glory away from Paul, wedges have been around for a very, very, long time. Using two wedges of the same angle keeps the outers surfaces parallel as you drive them home, & minimises distortions that might occur with using a single wedge. But the principles of ramps & wedges have been known for much longer than recorded history, I'm sure. A screw is no more than a coiled ramp, or a circular wedge. However, people find their own ways to apply well-known principles, & that's what makes it all so interesting.....

Cheers,

I see. My thoughts with the folded wedges was that, since they're jammed between two approximately flat and parallel faces, the gap would have to be at minimum the width of one wedge, or else the faces of the wedges would not be flat. Also the absolute maximum gap is twice the height of a wedge, or more realistically a wedge and a half. With a single wedge, and a matched face on the clamp head, the minimum gap is virtually nothing, and the maximum gap is totally dependant on the size of your wedge. So there are arguments for both I guess.

A third option would be some kind of screw fixture, but that seems like it would overcomplicate an elegant design.

Ian's absolutely right in that several million (make that billion) woodworkers have beaten me to the patenting rights. I have a box full of wedges. I use them for hanging doors and evening up tables and stands in the shed as there is an uneven dirt floor. I also use them as security in felling trees in the bush.

In the clamps pictured the holes are spaced at 65mm, but you can add more holes to suit. The easy way to avoid the situation in the first picture where the wedges are clearly too small is just to put a short packing piece of a suitable thickness between the wedges and the boards to be clamped.

Regards
Paul